Of Marauders and Mudbloods
by TheRavenclawAthena
Summary: Jily fanfiction, with lots of Marauders friendship stuff. There is also going to be quite a bit of Blackinnon, as this is a ship I adore and haven't written for yet. Starts in sixth year. I plan on making this a long story. Please follow, favorite, and review!
1. Chapter 1

"Tell me again what she said, Remus?"

"I've told you a thousand times, James. She said, 'I don't hate him, I just don't particularly enjoy his company.'"

Remus Lupin, who was both a fellow Prefect and friend of Lily Evans, had asked Lily her opinion of James Potter earlier that day, and her response excited James.

"See? She doesn't hate me!" James exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, yes, we should start planning the wedding," Sirius said sarcastically from his perch on the floor where he was lounging in front of the fire, arms behind his head.

"Shut up, Padfoot," James said, chucking a pen at him.

Sirius neatly caught it and threw it to Remus. This, of course, led to a free for all in which books were knocked over, papers spilled, and James's glasses nearly broken. Finally, James emerged triumphant from the fray, holding the pen.

"Nice one, Prongs!" Peter Pettigrew cried from his perch of safety standing on a chair.

"Thanks, Wormtail," James replied with a smirk, glancing over to where some girls, including Lily Evans, were studying. She caught his eye and then rolled her own, muttering something about insufferable showoffs before returning to her work.

James heard some giggling coming from Lily's group, which included Mary Macdonald, Marlene McKinnon, and Emmeline Vance. He noticed Marlene was looking at Sirius while the other girls, except for Lily, giggled and nudged her. Marlene was giving her friends death glares and trying to pretend she hadn't been looking at Sirius. Sirius, noticing the attention, shot her a wink and returned to his lounging.

Sirius was, to put it bluntly, a player. His elegant good looks had gained him many admirers, but he didn't care about any of them. It wasn't that he didn't acknowledge girls: He'd kissed more than the other Maruaders combined. But he didn't take them seriously, and he never had more than a fling with anyone.

Lily slammed her books shut, fed up with the giggling. "I'm going to bed."

"Night, Lily!" the other girls replied absentmindedly, still obsessing over the wink Sirius had given Marlene. Marlene, of course, was still looking like giving her friends a good hex wouldn't be a bad idea.

As Lily walked past James, he said, "Night, Evans!"

"Night, Potter," she said wearily, not even looking at him.

She marched out of the room and went to her dormitory, trying not to think about that annoying git James Potter.

Meanwhile, James was still talking about it. "She talked to me, actually talked to me! She usually ignores me! I think we're getting somewhere, Moony."

"Mhm hmm," he said absentmindedly, because he was actually doing homework. Remus was the studious, responsible one. He kept the others in line.

Sirius, meanwhile, was still looking at Marlene as if sizing her up. "Marlene McKinnon, huh? She's kind of cute…"

"You'd better not get involved, Sirius. She's one of Lily's best friends," said Remus practically.

"Yeah, stop messing around with girls, Padfoot."

"You're one to talk. Eyeing Evans every chance you get and acting like a fool so she'll notice -Hello, ladies," he finished because Marlene and her friends were walking by.

"Hello, Black," Marlene replied with a half-smile, ignoring her still-giggling friends.

"Sirius Black: heartbreaker extraordinaire," Sirius commented quietly as they left, causing Peter to laugh and James to throw yet another pen at him. Sirius didn't rise to the bait this time; instead, he lazily watched the pen fall with mild interest. "Don't worry, Prongs. I won't go messing around with her. Now, there's nothing wrong with a little winking, so I think I'll keep that up."

James glared at him. "You'd better not."

Sirius laughed his careless laugh. "Right, Prongs. Just messing with you."

"I'm off to bed guys; prefect duties tomorrow," Remus said, standing up.

James groaned. "While you're off talking to Lily, I'll be stuck -"

"Stuck sound asleep in your warm bed," Sirius finished smoothly.

"Right. Now don't stay up too late," Remus warned, even though he knew it was futile. James and Sirius always stayed up half the night and inevitably complained about tiredness the next day.

Remus went to bed, and Peter soon followed. James and Sirius remained by the fire, James on the couch and Sirius on the floor.

"Do you really think I have a chance?" James asked seriously as soon as the others left.

Sirius grinned, and then turned serious as well as he realized his friend was voicing a real insecurity. "I dunno, Prongs. I'd say you do. I mean, you've come a long way. Now you actually talk to each other; that's real improvement.

James nodded. "Yeah." He paused. "I really like her, Sirius."

Sirius had never heard James speak this sincerely about it before. He was glad James felt comfortable enough to talk to him about it.

Sirius sighed. "Listen, James. I can't tell you what she feels for you…but I do know that she's got to at least be slightly interested in you."

James looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

"Yeah, for sure. I mean, she's a girl, right? Girls love attention, and she's no exception. So just give it time."

James stared at his friend in a new light. "How do you know so much about girls?"

"I'm a heartbreaker, remember?" Sirius laughed.

"Whatever, Padfoot," James said, laughing too.

"But seriously, Prongs. Girls are simple creatures. They like attention, so just keep doing what you're doing; she'll come around sooner or later."

James nodded. "Okay." Then he chuckled. "I should ask you for advice more often, Padfoot."

He grinned back. "You really should."

And with that, the two prepared to disobey Remus and stay up all night playing intense games of wizard's chess and arguing like they did every night.


	2. Chapter 2

Lily was sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast with her friends when the post came. Surprisingly, there was an owl bearing a letter for her.

"Ooh, you got something!" Mary exclaimed enviously as Lily untied the letter from the owl's leg and paid it.

"Maybe it's from Mum," Lily responded with a smile, excited at the prospect of news from home.

She grabbed the letter and eagerly opened it. Her face fell as soon as she began reading it. The letter was from Petunia:

Hello, coarse and uneducated sister. It's been quite some time since our last correspondence, but I figured I would condescend to give you the pleasantry of a letter from me.

I have written to you for the sole purpose to remind your gibberish-filled and cracked mind that, while at your stay in the mental institution, Mother's birthday has passed. And I can't believe that you couldn't take a break from your stick-waving and time-wasting to wish your own mother a happy birthday. What kind of a daughter are you? I bet you were off doing you-know-what with that greasy, wand-waving freak of yours.

Sensibly and always the wiser, Petunia.

Lily crumpled the note up in her hand and rose, tears already falling down her face as she headed out of the Great Hall. She walked down a corridor blindly and found herself at the girls' bathroom. She went inside and sat on the floor, succumbing to the tears. She noticed that the note was gone and realized she must have dropped it somewhere, but she didn't care.

Meanwhile, James was following her. He'd sprung up from his seat as soon as he'd seen Lily leave the Great Hall crying. He started following her, ignoring Remus's sighs and Sirius's sarcastic comments.

He found the note shortly. It was lying on the floor, crumpled and forlorn. He picked it up, remembering seeing a flash of white in Lily's hands.

After reading it, he set his jaw. No one, not even Lily's own sister, had a right to talk to Lily like that. He strode down the hall and flung open the girls' bathroom door purposefully. "Evans?"

She sprung up from the ground, trying to pretend she hadn't been crying. "Get out, Potter! This is the girls' bathroom!" she yelled.

He ignored her. "I read this," he said, holding out the note. She tried to snatch it from him, but he pulled it back. "What's going on, Evans?"

"It's from my sister." She spat the word out like a curse. "Now get out, Potter! This is none of your business!"

"I just made it my business," he said firmly, stepping closer. "And what's this about Snape? Are you two...dating?" His voice was unsure, unsteady. He feared the answer.

Her eyes registered hurt and she took a step back, avoiding his gaze.

"What is it?" His voice was soft.

"I don't want to have this conversation with you, Potter!"

He grabbed her arm. "Talk to me, Evans. You can't just live your whole life secretly."

She turned away, not meeting his eyes. "He called me a Mudblood."

James's blood boiled. "I'll kill him, that sneaky, rotten son of a -"

"He calls everyone of my birth that; I don't see why I should be any different," she retorted hotly, turning her hurt into anger and directing it at James. "Now get out!"

"I'm not leaving until I make sure you're okay!"

She burst into tears. She wasn't sure why: maybe it was the care and concern in his voice, or maybe it was that she realized that Potter wasn't a total git after all. Whatever it was, she didn't struggle against the arms that held her comfortingly.

Finally, she pulled away. "Get out, Potter." But this time her words were soft and accompanied by a smile.

"You're sure you're all right?" he asked, his hand grazing her face.

She nodded. "I'm sure." He turned to leave. "Potter? Thank you."

He turned back towards her and smiled. "Any time, Evans."

And he left Lily Evans standing there, wondering how James Potter had ever managed to make his way into her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

"You should go talk to him, Alice," Marlene said, tired of watching Alice and Frank Longbottom making eyes at each other across the library.

"Yeah, you should! I mean, he obviously likes you," Mary agreed.

Alice smiled and blushed, not needing much encouragement. "All right then." She made her way over to Frank, who looked surprised and pleased, and the two began talking.

"Finally," Marlene commented, rolling her eyes. "They are cute though," she conceded.

"Like you and Sirius should be," Mary responded slyly.

Marlene hit her with her papers and tried to pretend she wasn't blushing. "Mary, I swear to God..." her insult trailed off."I'm gonna go to the Common Room."

"Ooh, betcha Sirius is there."

Marlene shot Mary a nasty look, although her lingering blush showed that Mary was right: Sirius probably would be in the Common Room, and Marlene knew it.

As soon as Marlene left, Mary turned to Lily. "Tell me what's going on."

Lily sighed. Mary was her best friend and they always knew when the other one was hiding something.

"Did it have something to do with what happened at breakfast?" Mary prompted.

Lily gave in and told her friend everything. "And...yeah. I've been thinking about him all day and I don't know what's wrong with me!" she finished.

Mary laughed. "It's obvious, isn't it? You're falling for him, Lily!"

Lily shook her head fiercely. "No bloody way. He's a git."

Mary rolled her eyes. "The question is, why wouldn't you fall for him? He's athletic, good looking, smart, funny..." She trailed off at Lily's skeptical face. "Well, he is! Come on, you have to at least admit he's cute."

"Fine. He's insufferably adorable. But he's still a git."

"Whatever, Lily. Half the girls in Gryffindor would give anything to be with him, and you don't even appreciate him!"

"So you want me to like him?"

"Look, I just want you to be happy. And if that involves James Potter, then yes, I want you to let him in. Don't push him away."

Lily sighed. "It's so confusing."

"Well, how about you just start with being friends?" Mary suggested.

Lily nodded. "Okay."

"Silence is beautiful, isn't it, McKinnon?"

Marlene's head shot up from her homework. "What?"

"Well, I'm just saying, since your annoying friends aren't here, and my annoying friends aren't here, maybe we should talk?" Sirius sat next to her on the couch with a smirk.

The git, the bloody git. He probably knew how hard her heart was pounding, what that smirk did to her. He was just messing with her, she knew it. He knew he was irresistible. The git.

"Silence is beautiful. So maybe we should keep it." She scooted away from him defensively.

He moved closer unashamedly, putting his arms casually on the back of the couch.

God, he's beautiful, she thought. He was so darn aggravating.

She sighed as if giving in. "Fine, Black, if you insist on making yourself a nuisance."

He smiled in a satisfied way. "So, where are your giggly friends?"

"Off giggling somewhere else where I can't murder them. And yours?"

"James is probably spying on Lily and Remus is doing Prefect duties." He sighed as if he were all alone in the world. "So I'm spending some quality time with you, McKinnon."

Her heart skipped a beat, and then she had to remind herself that this was Sirius Black. None of his flirting was probably even genuine. He was, after all, the world's biggest player. But she decided to just go with it.

"Glad to know where I stand, Black," she laughed, relaxing.

He grinned at her easily. Marlene had been right: He had first come to sit with her simply because he loved flirting. But as he spent more time with her, he realized that he was enjoying himself. She was cute, that was for sure. She was also fun and intense in a way that Sirius found himself drawn to.

"Why do you and your friends have those weird names for each other?" she asked randomly.

"Ah, I wish I could tell you. Unfortunately, I can't. However, you can be assured that it's for a super cool and amazing secret mission that only super cool and amazing people can be a part of."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Black. More like you guys never grew up and still pretend you're secret agents."

Sirius put his hand on his heart dramatically. "That hurt, McKinnon," he said.

She laughed. "Sorry," she replied unapologetically.

Sirius turned, well, serious. "Hey, I gotta ask you something. How does Lily really feel about James?"

Marlene looked at him. "Hmm. Well, to be honest, I think she likes him."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Marlene nodded. "Mhm hmm. I mean, girls like attention, and Lily's no exception."

"That's exactly what I've been telling James!" Sirius exclaimed. "So you think there's a chance?"

"I do. She's just not good at letting people in, so it may take some time."

He nodded. "I'll tell that to James."

Just then, James himself walked into the Common Room.

"Speak of the devil," Sirius said in a stage-whisper to Marlene.

"Sirius, stop flirting or you'll be late for Quidditch practice," James said, looking suspiciously at Sirius and Marlene.

"Duty calls," Sirius said lazily to Marlene, flashing her a smile as he rose from the couch.

"See you, Black," she replied.

As James and Sirius exited the Common Room, James turned to his friend. "What was that all about?"

"Just talking to a nice girl, Prongs. Don't overreact."

"Just talking?! You don't just talk to girls. She's one of Lily's best friends, Padfoot, you can't go messing her around."

"Yeah, and what if I like her?"

James stared at Sirius. "You don't like girls, remember? You just use them to inflate your ego."

"Harsh, mate," he said with an easy laugh, deciding just to let it go because James was right. And also because he didn't know what he was feeling for Marlene.

Sirius slung his arm around his friend's shoulders as they headed down to the Quidditch pitch. All was good in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

Marlene remained seated on the couch for a long time after Sirius had left for Quidditch practice, a smile playing on her lips. She couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened, and even though she knew that getting involved with Sirius Black was a mistake, she was having trouble convincing her heart not to fall for him.

Meanwhile, on the Quidditch pitch, Sirius was distracted. He was normally an excellent beater, but today he was struggling to concentrate, and the rest of the team, especially James, was getting frustrated with him.

The conversation he'd just had with Marlene had reminded him once again why he couldn't have a normal relationship, why he could never let himself fall for anyone. He was broken; his family was in shambles, and he couldn't bring anyone into the mess that was his life outside of Hogwarts.

Normally, it wasn't a problem to keep people out—he simply didn't get attached to the girls he was flirting with, and they were indispensable to him. He could usually control his feelings well, and his heart always submitted to his mind. But this time, it felt like his heart was winning.

"Watch it, Black!" James's angry shout came across the pitch as he swerved abruptly; a bludger that Sirius had missed while in the depths of his reverie had nearly hit James in the face.

"My bad, Potter, wouldn't want to ruin your pretty little face," he yelled back easily, snapping out of his thoughts and adjusting himself on his broom. He could think about his feelings later; Quidditch was more important.

That night in the common room, James grilled Remus on what had happened at his Prefect meeting earlier that day.

After a few minutes of James asking everything from what color sweater Lily had been wearing to whom she had talked to most, Sirius had had enough. "Come on mate, let Moony finish his essay so I can copy it," he said. "I'm barely passing History of Magic, I need all the help I can get."

Lupin, who did not approve of copying but put up with it because Sirius and James always did his homework when he was recovering from the full moon, sighed. "I don't know what else to say about it, Prongs. She seemed a bit quiet, but maybe she was just tired. Other than that, she was the same as she always is."

James was quiet for a few minutes, processing this information. "I know why she seemed tired," he said finally. "Her sister's a bloody git." He filled the other two in on what had happened the day before.

Remus didn't look surprised at James's story. "I knew she had some family difficulties," he said. "She's mentioned it to me before."

But Lily's family troubles were news to Sirius. It made him see Lily in a new light. The two had always gotten along well, joking in class and sharing smiles and eye rolls when James was being particularly obvious in his flirtations. But Sirius hadn't known that she, like he, had an awful family.

Sirius had always felt a bit of a disconnect with James because of this. James was adored by his family, and even spoiled. He'd arrived at Hogwarts well-fed and loved, knowing that his parents would be proud of him, no matter which House he was placed in. But once the Sorting Hat had proclaimed Sirius a Gryffindor, his pure-blood, Slytherin-loving family had practically disowned him.

He was eternally grateful to the Potters for being so welcoming to him, but it was still hard. He'd mostly given up on his family and now only returned for a few days around the holidays, always getting his hopes up that maybe his family would be more welcoming this year. But every year he returned to Hogwarts after only a few days, being chased off by his mother's screams and his father's slaps. When James arrived at Hogwarts after a wonderful holiday, filled with food and joy, Sirius would lie and say his holiday had been fine. James knew that Sirius's family was far from perfect, but he didn't know the extent of the abuse, and it was easy for James to forget about it considering his own family was so wonderful.

Having finished copying Lupin's essay, changing enough words so that it wouldn't appear suspicious, Sirius headed off to bed, deciding that he would attempt to talk to Lily the next day.

****  
The sixth years had double potions with Professor Slughorn the next day. Sirius, who usually came drifting in full of lazy excuses a few minutes after the period began, arrived early and set up his cauldron next to Lily's. Being close to Lily was fairly typical of him, because Lily was excellent at Potions, and Sirius was not above copying her work to save his grade.

"Come to cheat off me again, Black?" Lily said, with a humorous flash of her green eyes.

"Absolutely."

James hurried in a few minutes later, looking slightly annoyed at the fact that Sirius had grabbed the prized spot next to Lily. He set up his cauldron next to Sirius, and Lupin stood next to James.

Marlene arrived just after the period began, laughing and chattering with a group of friends, and took her place next to Lily. As Slughorn absentmindedly shushed them with a wave of his hands, Sirius caught her eye and gave her a wink.

"Settle down, settle down," Professor Slughorn said, waiting for silence before he continued. "We will be making the Cure for Boils today. Can anyone tell me what the purpose of this potion is?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say it cured boils, Sir," Sirius said loudly. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he was pleased to see Marlene laughing.

Apparently not noticing Sirius's sarcasm, or choosing to ignore it, Professor Slughorn said, "Yes, yes. It's a pretty simple potion, so you may open your books and begin."

There was a bustle as everyone took out his or her books and materials. Sirius didn't move or bother to grab his supplies, but rather stood looking at Lily expectantly.

She rolled her eyes and whispered, "Crush the snake fangs first, and then add them to your cauldron."

"Yes, ma'am."

Following Lily's instructions, Sirius continued brewing the potion.

Next to him, James seemed flustered. "How is yours bubbling like that?"

"I don't know, mate, just following the instructions…" he responded innocently, catching Lily's eye and making her laugh.

Once his potion was bright red and appeared stable, he decided to put his plan into action.

Keeping his eyes innocently on Professor Slughorn, Sirius knocked over the bottle of porcupine quills, which was perched near the edge of the desk.

"Sorry, Professor!" he said quickly as Slughorn, alarmed at the noise, looked over. "It's these darn robes…"

He knelt to pick the quills up, and Lily joined him, as he'd known she would.

"Wow, Black, so clumsy—"

He interrupted her teasing. "Hey, Evans, could I talk to you later?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion, but answered him quickly, used to his spontaneity and certain he must have something important to say since he had gone to so much trouble to ask her. "I have a free period after lunch. I'll be in the library."

All of the quills being retrieved, they both stood up, and with her help he managed to brew a respectably decent Cure for Boils potion.


	5. Chapter 5

James was still seething as they exited Potions and headed to the dining hall to eat lunch. Sirius and Lily had spent the rest of the Potions class joking and laughing together as Lily helped Sirius with his potion, and James was obviously jealous. It didn't help matters that he'd been too distracted to focus on his work, and so his potion had turned the consistency of cement, causing him to receive a zero for that day's work.

"See ya, Evans," Sirius said with a wink as he and Lily separated, she heading in the opposite direction with her friends.

James turned to Sirius, looking suspicious.

"Well, I'll see her in class, won't I, mate?" Seeing that James was still displeased, Sirius added, "Come on, Prongs, just because you like her doesn't mean I can't be friends with her. She and Moony are friends too, you know."

James wasn't fully appeased, but he knew Sirius had a point, so he ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly and changed the subject to the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin. James never stayed angry for long; it wasn't in his nature to hold a grudge. Plus, food was calling.

During lunch, Remus attempted to do his homework while James and Sirius quickly and loudly became the center of attention at the Gryffindor table. As usual, Peter sat with them, but he wasn't quite a part of the group. He didn't have a lot of original comments to make, and his sense of humor consisted of repeating the jokes James and Sirius made and laughing at them. The other students often wondered why Sirius and James chose to hang out with Peter so much, when he certainly didn't have the same brilliance and charisma they did. Even Remus was popular in his own way, and his classmates looked up to him and respected him. But Peter didn't seem to bring any unique assets to the table.

The truth of the matter was, the others were friends with Peter because he'd naturally become a key part of their group. James and Sirius were the leaders, always in the thick of things. Remus was the mature one, trying to keep the others out of trouble. And Peter was the follower, idolizing James and Sirius and hanging on to their every word, his shy personality balancing out their loud ones. He completed the dynamic of the group, and although the others teased him, they did care for him deeply. And, of course, James and Sirius loved the attention he showed them.

After lunch was over, James and Remus headed off to Muggle Studies, a class which Sirius didn't take. After all, he said he'd learned everything he needed to know about muggles by reading their trashy magazines.

Sirius walked with James to class as he usually did, and then he turned around and headed to the library to meet Lily.

She was already there when he arrived. She was sitting cross-legged in a quiet corner, her fiery head bent over a thick book as she attempted to translate ancient runes. Hearing Sirius's footsteps, she looked up and smiled. "Thank God I have an excuse not to finish these runes. So, what super important information did you want to tell me, Black?"

He chuckled, sitting next to her on the floor. Then he got straight to the point, setting their normal banter aside. "I heard you were having some family problems."

To his surprise, an annoyed look flashed across her face. "Did Potter tell you?"

"No! I mean, it's just sort of commonly known. Remus said you'd mentioned it before." Inwardly he kicked himself, hoping his smooth talking would save him from exposing James.

She didn't believe him, but she softened, thinking it was sweet that James had confided in his friend, and that Sirius had come to talk to her about it. "Yeah, Black, I've got a bitter sister who thinks I'm a freak, and parents who won't stand up to her enough to tell her otherwise. But why do you care?"

"Because my family sucks too, Evans. And I know how much it hurts." She didn't say anything, so he continued. "You've probably seen my brother around. He's a third year, in Slytherin. Regulus. Well, he and my parents practically disowned me when I was put in Gryffindor, and now they act like I don't exist."

Lily had seen Regulus around the school, but she'd never thought about why the two brothers ignored each other. He resembled Sirius, but he was smaller somehow, less obvious. He was handsome too, but in a more understated way. She'd known the brothers weren't close, but she'd never known what Sirius had been through, and now she felt guilty for never taking the time to find out.

"Black…"

He cut across her words. "I'm not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me, Evans. I guess I just wanted you to know that you're not the only one with a bad family."

She looked down, focusing on the fabric of her uniform skirt and deciding what to say next. Finally, she looked up and said, "Sirius…I'm sorry. I had no idea. You just always seem so happy, I never thought that something was wrong."

He smiled. "Can't help being charismatic, Evans." He turned serious again. "But yeah, I don't really talk about it, because no one understands. And I love James, he's my best mate, but his family is perfect and he just doesn't get it."

"I know. It seems like everyone has this perfect life outside of Hogwarts, but Hogwarts is my only home. I dread the holidays, because I feel like it's weird if I don't go home, but I always regret it if I do."

Sensing that he could trust her, Sirius opened up even more and told Lily about the mental and physical abuse he was subject to at home. He'd never told anyone about it before, and when he finished talking and looked up, he expected to see sadness in her face.

Instead, she looked angry. Her green eyes flashed intensely, and for a second, Sirius saw exactly why James liked her so much, and why he couldn't get over her. He'd never seen that kind of fierceness in a girl before, and he liked it.

After awhile, she spoke with firmness in her voice. "You need to get out of there, Sirius."

"You mean…run away?" He was surprised by her words and thought she might be joking; he'd never thought about running away before, never even considered it as an option.

But she wasn't joking. "Yes. I mean, it's not a home for you anymore. And you don't need them; you've been independent since first year. It honestly wouldn't change things at all if you left, but then they'd know they no longer have any power over you. They wouldn't be able to hurt you anymore."

He smiled slowly, thinking about her words, which made perfect sense. He wondered if he actually could run away, if he could cut ties with his family once and for all. "You know, maybe I will."

She grinned. "Let me know how it goes. And thank you, Black. Really."

"Anytime, Evans."

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. They both jumped, startled at their abrupt reentrance into the world around them, and then laughed.

She stood to leave, took a few steps, and turned back again. "Oh, and you can tell Potter to stop sending his friends to talk to me, and talk to me himself."

With a smile and a flash of her golden hair, she was gone, leaving Sirius pondering over her words and wondering if James really did have a chance with her. He realized that he would like nothing more than James and Lily finally getting together.


End file.
